Accounting for Business Decision Making: Strategy Assessment and Control

Accounting for Business Decision Making: Strategy Assessment and Control

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

About this course: Accounting information is the lifeblood of the organization, as it facilitates and influences operational and strategic decisions intended to achieve organizational goals. Organizations benefit from three decision-oriented roles of accounting: measurement, control, and communication.
This course provides an introduction to accounting’s role in helping managers develop and implement, and improve the organization’s strategy. In particular, you will learn how non-financial and financial information is created, organized, and communicated to help managers make strategic decisions, as well as measure strategic success. This course also provides an introduction to accounting as a control function inside the organization, which helps influence the alignment of managers’ and employees’ decisions with organizational goals. You will learn about different types of controls, including process controls, budgets, and performance measurement and evaluation tools and techniques.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Create and communicate accounting information that facilitates strategic decisions.
• Use accounting information to develop, implement, and improve organizational strategy.
• Implement controls that align managers’ and employees’ decisions with organizational goals.
• Measure and evaluate manager and employee performance to control and motivate operational and strategic decision-making.
If you enjoy this business course and are interested in an MBA, consider applying to the iMBA, a flexible, fully-accredited online MBA at an incredibly competitive price offered by the University of Illinois. For more information, please see the Resource page in this course and onlinemba.illinois.edu.

You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course.

4 readings, 1 practice quiz

Reading: Syllabus

Reading: About the Discussion Forums

Practice Quiz: Orientation Quiz

Reading: Updating Your Profile

Discussion Prompt: Getting to Know Your Classmates

Reading: Social Media

Module 1: Managing Capacity

In this module, you will explore different measures of an organization's capacity and understand their implications for many different decisions, including product pricing.

8 videos, 2 readings, 2 practice quizzes

Reading: Module 1 Overview

Reading: Module 1 Readings

Video: 1-1.1. Defining and Measuring Capacity

Video: 1-1.2. Implications of Capacity Measurement

Video: 1-1.3. Application and Extension

Video: 1-1.4. What We’ve Learned

Practice Quiz: Lesson 1-1 Practice Quiz

Video: 1-2.1. Identifying Constraints

Video: 1-2.2. Managing Constraints

Video: 1-2.3. Application and Extension

Video: 1-2.4. What We’ve Learned

Practice Quiz: Lesson 1-2 Practice Quiz

Graded: Module 1 Conceptual Quiz

Graded: Module 1 Quantitative Analysis Quiz

WEEK 2

Module 2: Managing Pricing

In this module, you will learn about accounting's role in pricing decisions.

8 videos, 2 readings, 2 practice quizzes

Reading: Module 2 Overview

Reading: Module 2 Readings

Video: 2-1.1. Pricing Fundamentals

Video: 2-1.2. Pricing Mechanisms

Video: 2-1.3. Application and Extension

Video: 2-1.4. What We’ve Learned

Practice Quiz: Lesson 2-1 Practice Quiz

Video: 2-2.1. Decentralization and Reporting

Video: 2-2.2. Transfer Pricing Approaches

Video: 2-2.3. Application and Extension

Video: 2-2.4. What We’ve Learned

Practice Quiz: Lesson 2-2 Practice Quiz

Graded: Module 2 Conceptual Quiz

Graded: Module 2 Quantitative Analysis Quiz

WEEK 3

Module 3: Planning and Monitoring Operations

In this module, you will explore budgeting in organizations.

8 videos, 2 readings, 2 practice quizzes

Reading: Module 3 Overview

Reading: Module 3 Readings

Video: 3-1.1. Budgeting in Organizations

Video: 3-1.2. Types of Budgets

Video: 3-1.3. Application and Extension

Video: 3-1.4. What We’ve Learned

Practice Quiz: Lesson 3-1 Practice Quiz

Video: 3-2.1. Standards and Variance Analysis

Video: 3-2.2. Variance Analysis Concepts and Framework

Video: 3-2.3. Application and Extension

Video: 3-2.4. What We’ve Learned

Practice Quiz: Lesson 3-2 Practice Quiz

Graded: Module 3 Conceptual Quiz

Graded: Module 3 Quantitative Analysis Quiz

Graded: Module 3 Peer Review Assignment

WEEK 4

Module 4: Managing Organizational Strategy

In this module, you will explore many aspects of this important system.

8 videos, 2 readings, 2 practice quizzes

Reading: Module 4 Overview

Reading: Module 4 Readings

Video: 4-1.1. Defining Strategy

Video: 4-1.2. Measure Attributes and Qualities

Video: 4-1.3. Financial Measures

Video: 4-1.4. What We’ve Learned

Practice Quiz: Lesson 4-1 Practice Quiz

Video: 4-2.1. Non-financial Measures

Video: 4-2.2. Purpose of Strategic Performance Measurement Systems

Video: 4-2.3. The Balanced Scorecard

Video: 4-2.4. What We’ve Learned

Practice Quiz: Lesson 4-2 Practice Quiz

Discussion Prompt: Final Reflections

Graded: Module 4 Conceptual Quiz

Graded: Module 4 Peer Review Assignment

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